After Being Reborn, I became a firefighter again?

Chapter 417: Chapter 339: Reunite After Four Months

Above the factory building, there was a big clock.

No, upon closer inspection, it should be a picture of a big clock.

Fang Huai didn’t have the means to create an actual clock, so he took a trip to the advertising shop and printed out a poster of the Hanwang Clock, which he hung at the top floor of the factory area.

Above, the displayed time was 2:28.

A tattered and worn-out billboard hanging on a building nearby displayed a slogan with the date:

"88 days left until the opening of the Olympics."

It was all too familiar.

Those who had been there could feel a desolate force hitting them in the face.

The people from Squadron 2 looked at those two big posters, and their smiles froze.

He Zhijun, who was still in relatively good spirits in the distance, was registering the name and arrival time of his squadron with the safety officer. He looked up and felt his heart skip a beat.

"Mark the arrival time as 12:32, number... one. The one from Anshun who arrived separately doesn’t count, you guys are the first squadron to arrive," the safety officer informed him, thinking he didn’t know how to write.

But he noticed the man in front of him wasn’t moving.

Looking up, he saw that Guiyang Special Service Squadron 2, which had just arrived, also stood still, silently staring at the factory area.

This time, Fang Huai had completely penetrated their defenses.

Only a few new recruits approached.

Han Yong looked at the posters and asked:

"Fang Huai, isn’t the Olympics opening on August 8th? I watched the news yesterday, there’re still forty-something days left... 88 days... is that the day of the earthquake?"

Fang Huai nodded, "The day before the earthquake, we saw such posters in many places in the affected area. They hadn’t had the chance to change them when the earthquake struck."

"Oh..." A few people suddenly realized.

The others also came back to their senses.

They were overcome with emotion.

Actually, a moment ago, they all really wanted to shout at Zhang Zhongting, "Leader, give the order!"

Then they would rush into the "earthquake area" to provide aid.

But everyone also realized that this was an exercise.

"How soon does the exercise start?" Hao Chengbin asked.

Fang Huai leaned on his crutch, raised his wrist to check the time, and said, "It should start very soon, what’s your departure number?"

"Twelve," Kong Xiangzhong said.

Fang Huai was again shocked inside.

Zhang Zhongting behind him was also taken aback.

Departing 12, arriving 1, they passed 11 other squads along the way.

As soon as this was mentioned, Kong Xiangzhong immediately pointed somewhat resentfully at the soldier who had arrived first from his squad, and said:

"Their squadron was the first to leave! Just now, when they saw us overtaking, they dispersed and ran separately, he ran in the front to grab first place, and we all ended up throwing up while chasing!"

As he finished speaking, a few scattered soldiers also arrived at the factory area entrance.

Behind them, with the "one two three four" cadence of commands, Anshun Special Duty arrived as well.

By then, the difference in physical ability was evident, with some still managing to kneel and catch their breath, and others collapsing to the ground as soon as they arrived.

Fortunately, no one was dehydrated. The Director’s Department wasn’t that cruel; they set up supply stations all along the way, similar to a marathon. Since it was noon when the rapid marches happened, in addition to mineral water, bread rolls were also supplied.

To be honest, in his previous life Fang Huai didn’t know why anyone would buy those convenient bread rolls, given how unpalatable they were.

It was only after participating in a few events with supply stations in this life that he understood, as long as the government and troops are running, there’s always a market for such things.

"Go to the designated rest area inside! Wait until everyone arrives. The fire truck will come through, and the exercise will then unfold!"

Fang Huai called over a staff officer who was temporarily in charge of logistics to lead them to rest.

The real logistics agency hadn’t arrived yet, and presently the whole corps didn’t have a Battle Duty Support Detachment, but the Training Base’s Training Department would serve as the logistics support group for this exercise.

Department head Yang Yonghua was also expected to arrive. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

This time, there would be many familiar faces.

Fang Huai was reflecting on this when Hao Chengbin smiled and said:

"There will be many familiar faces this time. Just wait here and see who shows up."

Fang Huai was startled.

Damn, is that mind reading?

But the familiar faces Squad Leader Hao was talking about... Fang Huai could guess a few and had some clues.

...

One o’clock, the midday sun was high in the sky.

The times the squadrons were notified to dispatch were controlled based on their distance to this location, some earlier, some later, but even with road conditions taken into account, the difference in arrival time at the starting point on foot should not exceed forty or fifty minutes.

One by one, squadrons continued to arrive.

Fang Huai grabbed a folding chair borrowed from the Command and sat at the registration desk at the factory area entrance, also the most conspicuous intersection, wearing dark glasses lent to him by Old Zhang’s driver Qiu, Leader of Squad Six. He reviewed the arriving troops with an air of inspection, greeting every acquaintance who passed by.

Despite the heat, he felt a cool breeze on his face.

Seeing each familiar face’s expression of surprise was quite satisfying.

Several leaders from the Command, who recognized Fang Huai, even if they didn’t know him before this morning, had been introduced to him by Zhang Zhongting and were thus familiar with him. They knew he was the well-decorated nephew of Zhang Zhongting, and even when they passed by the factory entrance and saw him relax in such a conspicuous spot, they didn’t say anything; instead, they teased him with a smile.

A remarkable soldier deserved remarkable treatment. freёwebnoѵel.com

Fang Huai was content with that reasoning: As an injured person, sure, take a seat! Just that the seating area is a bit conspicuous!

Passersby who recognized him, probably those who had participated in martial arts competitions, would whisper to their comrades, leaving behind a trail of "damn," which Fang Huai didn’t take to heart.

"Squad Six Leader!" Fang Huai called out with a raise of his hand.

"Damn, Little Fang?"

Squad Six Leader Yang Hui from the new recruit group had just arrived, still catching his breath, and was astounded when he saw Fang Huai removing his sunglasses while sitting in the chair.

"Long time no see!"

Fang Huai smiled, still remembering how he had envied Yang Hui half a year ago during the gymnastic feats on the parallel bars.

But now, those salutes on the bars, those giant swings, he could perform them with ease.